Cheese

478 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Bar Ume verdict: 9.5/10

Beef Burger: 9.5/10

Prawn Burger: 9.1/10

Sides: 9.5/10

So why Bar Ume?

She says: We almost ate here a bunch of times. Once we rolled up to one of their pop ups once and waited in line. But we were pretty quick to decide that our hangovers took precedence over their delicious looking burgs so we bailed after about 5 minutes. Then these guys actually invited us to do a review when they opened up at Barangaroo (WE ARE IMPORTANT BLOGGERS AND VERY POPULAR) and we spoke about going here maybe once a week for about 3 months but never made it in. After that we’d waited so long it felt weird demanding free burgers, so we just went in and bought some one day. It was worth the wait and every hard earned cent.

He says: This had been on our radar since they started doing the pop ups. Excitement levels regarding this place were at an all time high. It was also Saturday and we were famished and hung.

What did you order?

The Bacon Cheese Burger – $14.80

The Ebi Burger – $15.50

The Koji Fried Chicken- $9.50

Hot Chips With Umami Salt – $4.80

Tell us about the Bacon Cheese Burger?

He says: This belongs in Sydney’s burger royalty. It’s hard to fin fault with anything here. The pattie is off the charts perfection form the bottom up and it’s found it’s perfect partner with the spectacular UME sauce that lives up to its ‘special’ namesake. Cue crispy bacon, rice vinegar pickles, American cheese and onions and you have perfect show. Can’t wait for the next time (will be defs tapping a double).

She says: This was a very special burger. I was a massive fan. I couldn’t recommend it more and find it pretty hard to find any faults with this soft-buned beauty.

So then, how did you find the Ebi Burger?

She says:Ordering this felt like a risk – I mean, a prawn burger? It could have been horrible but it was absolutely brilliant. The textures in this one were really key to its success. It had a great crumbed prawn pattie that had firmness and even a bit of bounce, without being too chewy. This teamed with the crunchy, fresh cabbage and silky, tangy mayo was magic.

He says: Think this may be the first prawn burger we’ve notched up for the blog but on the strength of this one am hoping it’s not the last. The prawn pattie was genius and so very well suited to the Japanese tartare and shredded cabbage. A unique and deeply satisfying morsel of goodness this one.

Now, what about the sides?

She says:Umami salt is like a dream that I never want to wake up from. I would like it on all the things from now on. The fried chicken absolutely owned and the sauces were perfect. Another smash hit for Ume.

He says: The Koji fried chicken is up with there with Butter as being in my favourite fried chicken delights in Sydney. Karaage in style with a perfect batter and irresistible when dunked in mayo. The chips with umami salt were outstanding. In umami salt, chicken salt must now bow in deference.

Five Points Verdict: 9/10

Beef Burger: 9/10

Chicken Burger: 7.5/10

Sides: 8.5/10

So why Five Points?

She says: I work in North Sydney and talk about burgers and this blog at work A LOT (it’s kind of a one lady direct marketing plan that I figured out, basically I hound people until they follow or subscribe (heeeey you should also subscribe – it’s just down on the right hand side of the page)). Anyway it is a bit shameful that we hadn’t been there yet but I blame Five Points for not opening on the weekend. So He came in to meet me one lunch time and gave them a go. The line at 12:30 on a Friday was not as bad as I had warned him but after we ordered the place went crazy.

He says: This has been our go to list since it opened but the weekday hours have made it inconvenient. Finally we were presented with an opportunity for a lovely Friday lunch jaunt and had to take it. To say I was expecting big things would be an understatement.

What did you order?

The Bronx Burger – $12.50

The Queens Burger – $11

Beer Battered Fries – $4

Salted Caramel Milkshake – $6

Tell us about the Bronx Burger?

He says: Undeniably a solid burger and I was a massive fan of the patty in particular. The aioli, onion jam, bun and cheese are also worth a mention (although I could have done with more of the two sauces). The whole thing was let down by the bacon which was both hard and cold. On another day (and perhaps with lower expectations) I assume this would climb a little higher on my ‘loved’ list.

She says: This burger came out looking like a regular old burger beauty queen. That cheese – it was almost too much. This was one of those moments where I want to eat first, photo later (and that is why you might notice a little blur here and there. Big sorry!) And when I tasted it first thought was, ‘Good burger’. I was ready not to love the brioche looking bun but it worked well and the onion jam really wasn’t too sweet. The meat was cooked just right, but He is on the money, hard bacon stole some points from this burger. Oh and the pickles were nice counterpoint – without them it could have verged on entering Too-Salty Town.

So then, how did you find the Queens Burger?

She says:The new OBM motto, decided on just now is ‘More Sauce!’ and it is perfect for this very situation. This burger wasn’t up there with my faves – not even my favorite grilled chicken burgers (see Sould burger for great chicken). It was let down by a) the sauce b) the same bacon problems as before c) less cheese and e) just general meh chook. Totally edible and a filler if you for some reason don’t want beef but I would never order it over the Bronx.

He says: Would have much preferred the chicken to have been fried here as its grilled counterpart was rather dry. Again had the same issue with the bacon as with the Bronx burger. Would stick to just their beef burgers in the future.

Now, what about the sides?

He says: The beer battered chips had me all nostalgic with their hotel room service on overdrive type vibe and were lifted even further by the aioli dipping sauce. Salted caramel shake was as good as they come.

She says:Hotel fries!! Always a winner and make me want a club sandwich. The milkshake was good – salty and sweet just how I like ’em.

A Note on Our Verdicts

We try and sample a beef burger, a non-beef burger and a side. We score each out of 10 and then give a final verdict. For our final verdict, we take into account where we think the restaurant should sit on our Leader Board, which is why sometimes the verdict isn't exactly the average of the three, scores.